Kiran Stacey reported that Wes Streeting warned about the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) dire state, citing an interim report by Penny Dash. The public care doctor criticized the CQC for insufficient physical inspections and a flawed IT system.
Streeting emphasized his commitment to addressing this crisis through increased oversight and restoring patients' confidence in their care. He questioned the acceptance of incomplete assessments based on partial inspections and outdated reports, highlighting an urgent need for reform.
To regain public trust, Streeting proposed four immediate actions, including hiring a senior cancer doctor to review CQC's assessment procedures. The report uncovered troubling findings: approximately 20% of locations had never received inspections and some organizations hadn't been reinspected for years, with an outdated inspection dating back ten years in one case.
The situation was exacerbated by under-qualified inspectors who lacked necessary experience. This included instances where healthcare providers were waiting excessively long periods to receive updated ratings and reviews on their services, affecting local capacity planning.
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